User blog:Drat02/Heroes Versus Serpents: Cindara, Furnace and Cobra
Overview In this blog post (which I will be editing further as time allows), I put three Heroes in the limelight in regards to their effectiveness in the Serpent levels: Cindara, Furnace, and Cobra. Cobra was added in Game Version 1.7.1 and buffed in Game Version 1.9.1. Cobra was presumably added to the game with the intent to help out in Serpent Land, a series of new levels which were added to the game at the same time. Other Serpent-related Cards, such as Snowball Tower, Flare, and Salamander's Sting were also introduced and modified at about this time. With Cobra's x2 damage against Serpents, Cobra can be quite effective against Serpents. Cobra's speed is relatively good too - he's certainly faster than any of the enemy units he is pitted against in the Serpent Faction. Cobra is also a very low cost Hero to summon. Much of Cobra's effectiveness is lost (even when leveled up), in my opinion, beyond the early regular Serpent levels and outside of the early stages of the Serpentine Arena. There are some downsides to Cobra that become quite apparent, notably his low health (but relatively quick revive time) and the fact that he only has resistance to Poison damage. Cobra doesn't stand much of a chance against ranged Physical damage-inflicting units such as Royal Javelineers and Wyrmidon Bombardiers and melee Physical damage-inflicting units such as Royal Executioners, Wyrmidon Dragoons, and Giant Skeletons, and can't take the punch of an exploded Arach Infernal. So if not Cobra, then who to rely on in dealing with Serpents? The two that come to mind as being quite good against Serpents, whether they were specifically intended to or not, are Furnace and Cindara. Furnace was added prior to Cobra in Game Version 1.6. Cindara was added after Cobra in Game Version 1.9.1, but her introduction coincided with the update that saw Cobra's statistics modified. Although they don't have the damage boost against Serpents specifically, they prove their usefulness in the Serpent levels. Cindara has very high resistance to Magic damage, allowing her to take some hits from Wyrmguard Wardens and other melee Magic damage-inflicting units. As far as Physical damage resistance goes, Cindara is right in there with Cobra: essentially she doesn't have any. Like any ranged Hero, you'll want to keep her away from the fray, to take advantage of her ranged abilities. While her range damage alone is low in comparison to other Heroes, her fireballs have two elements that make them quite effective: an area of effect and damage over time. In this manner, they are quite similar to the Spoiled Rum upgrade of Pirate Tower. It is quite an effective attack when inflicted on mobs of Serpents. Furnace is a tank, even at low levels. Furnace has very high resistance to both Physical and Magic damage (compare him for instance with the Royal Executioner). He is faster than Cobra, and if seen in time, can successfully run down enemy units from the Serpent Faction. He can take quite a beating, which makes him a good choice in slowing down the advance of enemy units long enough for them to get in range of towers or for you to free up your other Heroes. Furnace also creates a damage aura. Although the amount of damage and the size of the aura are relatively small, any little bit helps. Cindara has a high initial cost and Furnace has a very high initial cost to summon, but they are both worth the investment in my opinion, and clearly hold their weight when dealing with Serpents. I have found it to be very effective when playing Hero-dependent levels or in the Serpentine Arena for Furnace and Cindara to be teamed up with Sapphira, Knuckle, and Valorius. The damage boost of Valorius to nearby Heroes for instance is amazing. Let's take a look at their stats to see how the Heroes stack up against enemy units of the Serpent Faction as well as other enemy units that you will likely encounter in the Serpent levels. Bear in mind that certain attributes are not applicable to all Heroes or all enemy units. Also, Cobra's damage statistics only apply to units of the Serpent Faction and not other enemy units such as those from the Vermin and Undead factions. Health Melee Damage Physical Magic Poison Total Ranged Damage Physical Magic Total Resist Damage Physical Magic Poison Speed Attack Rate As time allows, I have been trying to figure out the Attack Rates (given in seconds) for the enemy units mentioned above (see thread here). The Attack Rates of enemy units are not given in the game. The Attack Rates of Heroes, on the other hand, are given in the game. Category:Blog posts